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The Avery Set: Take an Open-Ended Musical Odyssey to Nashville And a Journey to the Center of their Artistic Vision
by Robert E. Martin
When guitarist/vocalist Chris Zehnder and percussionist Jake Bartlett first formed The Avery Set back in the fall of 2003, a musical alchemy was forged that gained rapid local attention, especially from fellow musicians & critics smitten with the musical maturity behind their songwriting, which forged the nexus of their musical alliance. The fact they were still in high school at the time was even more impressive. The group gained even more critical notoriety when Jake submitted some material for consideration by the Committee of the Nick Andros Scholarship Fund, and wound up winning the 2005 award. It takes both courage and commitment to pursue a dream, which is precisely what Chris and Jake decidedly dedicated themselves towards, with Jake moving down to Nashville and Chris shortly following suit upon graduating from college. Now with the release of their latest original masterpiece, Returning to Steam, the lyrical depth and musical seamlessness of The Avery Set has touched an even more impressive level of accomplishment. With The Avery Set performing at a special CD Release show set at Pit & Balcony Theatre on December 21st at 8:00 PM, the Review spoke recently with Chris and Jake about the fruits to be derived from pursuing their musical dreams from a road less traveled. Sponsored by The Review, White’s Bar and The Red Eye coffee shop, tickets are $10.00 at the door and also include a copy of their remarkable new CD.
Review: It's been several years since we've heard from the Avery Set, so explain what you've been up to and how you managed to pull together to create this latest studio project.
Jake Bartlett: Chris and I started recording in Lansing in November of 2007 with Donny Brown, and then I moved down to Nashville and started recording drum tracks and sending them up to Chris and Donny, but it never got finished. Chris moved down to Nashville in September of 2008 and had already been talking to Brandon about playing with The Avery Set. They got together and met Jacob Johnson on bass. We had our first rehearsal as a 4 piece in the winter of 2008/2009, recorded 2 demo songs around March and within a couple months started working on this latest record with Travis Brigman at a studio called Platinum Lab. He’s been great. We've played a hand full of shows during that time and are really excited to come up to Michigan to play.
Chris Zehnder: After I graduated from college, I moved to Nashville to pursue music more exclusively. Jake was already in Nashville and he agreed to start playing with me again. I found a guitarist (Brandon Harris) and Bassist (Jacob Johnson) and we clicked immediately. They are now my best friends. It's strange how it happened, everything just really fell into place. We started working on songs I had written and once we had enough material we decided to make a record. Jacob's roommate, Travis Brigman, was working as an engineer at Platinum lab studios at the time. We'd practice in his basement all the time and he offered to record us for cheap cause he liked what he heard. We got lucky basically. None of us really have any money, and recording is expensive, especially when it's a full-length record in a professional studio.
Review: What is the genesis behind the creative flow of the tracks? Was the writing and recording a collaborative effort, and has the way and approach you took to writing and recording it evolved from your earlier outings?
Chris Zehnder: For the majority of the tunes, I'll bring a skeleton song (a rough draft of sorts) to the band and we'll try to flesh it out. Sometimes it comes together in a half hour and other times we'll be sitting on a song for months because we can't agree upon which way to take it. Brandon wrote a few guitar riffs that eventually became songs on the album. This is true for Goosedown Misery, Soul and Song, and Set My Weight on Me. Brandon will show me a guitar riff and I'll fiddle with the root chords and finish the song or we'll finish the instrumentation together. Jacob Johnson is also a singer/songwriter, so we really relate in that sense. I'm more collaborative than I've ever been.
Jake Bartlett: It's pretty collaborative for the most part. I usually come in at the end of the process and we have really productive rehearsals
Review: Being based in Nashville, what are your opinions in terms of how you would distinguish it from the Detroit or Midwestern scene? What are the things you like most about it, and do you prefer one over the other?
Jake Bartlett: It's different down here and a way of life for many people. You are surrounded by a lot of people that have been in the industry for decades. There are tons of shows every day here. And it's not all country, the music scene is pretty eclectic and there's a hell of a lot of talent.
Chris Zehnder: Everybody in Nashville plays music. This being said, I think more people are inclined to get on stage without much thought about what they are doing. Locally, the talent isn't nearly up to the par that I had expected. There are some great bands though. While the music scene in Michigan isn't taken as seriously, there is a sincerity there that I don't see as often in Nashville. I don't prefer one over the other though, I've played great shows in both states and try to base my opinions on individual situations rather than picking favorites. Michigan will always be home.
Review: How many songs have you written in total now and how would you distinguish the type of audience that you're trying to cultivate? Do you feel your music is targeted towards a particular niche market, or are you striving for a broader appeal?
Chris Zehnder: New melodies are always running through my head. I always start songs and never finish them because I lose interest or it just isn't working. Most of the complete songs that I have written write themselves in a very short period of time... sometimes in minutes. I would say I have around 50 completed originals and hundreds of unfinished ideas on the back-burner. If the writing process isn't coming naturally and flowing easily, I know to stop and either revisit it, or put the idea to sleep. If ideas aren't coming naturally and have to be fished from my brain, it becomes work. I'd like to think that we're striving for a broader audience. I don't consciously consider this when I am writing. I just have always been attracted to and have been influenced by timeless music.
Jake Bartlett: I don't know about the amount of songs, but we are about to release our second full-length album and we've played shows for older crowds in the smokiest bars and we've played shows at coffee shops for younger crowds.
Review: What do you feel is the most challenging component involved with keeping a band together over the 'long haul', as it were; and how do you collectively view the progression of the Avery Set to this present junction in your careers?
Chris Zehnder: The hardest part of keeping a band together is definitely dealing with the changing schedules and lives of the members. It's important to keep things interesting by constantly staying active and working on new songs. Keeping momentum is very important. Everybody has to compromise, there is a lot of give and take. It's like being in a marriage... no, it's exactly like that.
Review: Any other thoughts you might wish to add?
Jake Bartlett: Thanks to all of our fans, friends, and family for supporting The Avery Set for so many years. Also a big thanks to The Review Magazine, Whites Bar, and The Red Eye Cafe for helping out as sponsors of our CD release show coming up.
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